Eagle Scout creates videos for nonprofit

Duncan Vogel, a member of Wilton Boy Scout Troop 125, recently earned the rank of Eagle Scout after creating promotional videos for Food Rescue US, a nonprofit in Norwalk that distributes leftover food to homeless shelters and other locations that work with food-insecure families.

Duncan, a senior at Wilton High School, said he chose the project because he enjoys producing videos.

“I was looking at many previous projects and finding that I didn’t really resonate with many,” he said. “I didn’t want to build benches, or repair a park, or similar projects, as that is not my personality.”

Having made several videos “for fun and for classes” in the past, Duncan said, he thought “working that into the project would be a great way to personalize it and apply a more unique skill.”

After learning that Food Rescue US “was in need of a video to promote themselves as a growing organization and to attract new volunteers,” said Duncan, he saw it as “the perfect opportunity.”

He began working on the project in October 2016. However, a couple of months later, Duncan said, Food Rescue — then known as Community Plates — told him it was “going through major changes, including expansion and rebranding, and that it would change what they needed from the video.”

Duncan suspended his work on the project until the process was complete and began working on it again in March 2017. He finished creating the videos five months later and received his Eagle Scout Award the following month.

Duncan said scheduling was the hardest part about the project.

“I had to first schedule the run with a volunteer, then confirm it with the beneficiary, then set up the work day with the Scouts,” he said.

“Any delays in response times from any party were very problematic, and any update or change had to go back through an extensive process that took a few days at least.”

Working with Food Rescue US representatives, Duncan said, was his favorite part.

“They were very nice and helpful, and it was very rewarding working with them for the benefit of their organization and the community,” he said.

Duncan said earning Eagle is “a confirmation and culmination” of everything he’s done in Boy Scouting.

“I have spent many years in scouting, ever since I was very young in Cub Scouts,” he said. “I have made many friends and had some of the more memorable experiences of my life in scouting, as well as learning a lot about myself, how to lead and who I wanted to be.”

Duncan said the Eagle Scout award is a “symbol of this journey,” as well as a symbol to himself and others that he was “able to take something valuable away from the experience” and “had the skill and resolve to take [his] scouting career … to the finish line.”